Lot's of them apparently.
The Texas Tribune reports that transporation policy in Texas is continuing to shift from publicly built and financed roads to privately built roads. Is this a good idea?
In the view of many critics, tolling in Texas has shifted from an if-we-absolutely-must option to the default approach for major road projects.
“The day will surely come when, if you want to get from point A to point B, you’re not going to have a choice but to get on a toll road,” state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, warned at a panel discussion at The Texas Tribune Festival in September on transportation financing. “Well then, suddenly, a toll is just another tax. Let’s not kid one another.”
Fueling the current tolling boom is the transportation financing system in Texas, which falls far short of the state’s needs. Federal and state gas taxes are the primary revenue source for road construction and maintenance. Despite rising construction costs and the improving fuel efficiency of cars, Texans pay the same 38.4 cents in federal and state taxes per gallon of gas as they did nearly 20 years ago. In recent years, the Texas Department of Transportation has borrowed billions of dollars to finance transportation projects.
A 2009 report by an advisory committee said Texas should invest about $4 billion more per year on its current road system just to prevent congestion from worsening. As proposals to raise more transportation revenue have failed to draw sufficient political support, charging a toll is now seen as one of the few viable paths to developing major routes.
- Click here for an interactive map of toll roads in the state.
- Click here to learn more about the Texas transportation financing system.
- Click here for a 2009 report estimating Texas' transportation needs.
